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This site is dedicated to sharing what we have learned with you! Enjoy our tutorials, and if you have a question please feel free to ask! I know one of our sugar enthusiasts will either know or try to find the answer.We all have something to share...and we all have something to learn!

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Key Lime Christmas Tree

Celebrate the Holiday by Creating a Cookie Tree Centerpiece! Scroll down for tutorial!

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

1.Cut cake into three even layers, flip the layer which was the top of the baked cake over and attach to a base board (the same size as the tin the cake was baked in) with ganache. Spread ganache over the (now) bottom layer and then add the next (middle) layer of cake. Spread with ganache and then flip the last layer (what was the bottom of the baked cake) over and place on the top of the ganached layer. The bottom of the baked cake becomes the top, flat surface.

2.Spread some softened white chocolate ganache on a larger “work” board. Attach layered cake (on its base board) to the workboard. Leave to set or put in fridge for a few minutes (no more).

3.Trim all around the sides of the cake ensuring a 5mm gap between cake and base board- we will fill this gap with ganache.

4.Apply ganache thickly to the outside of the cake, ensuring that you bring the ganache slightly above the top edge of the cake.

5. Use a metal scraper (or straight edge) to remove the excess ganache from the sides of the cake. Place the bottom edge of the scraper against the base board and hold scraper completely perpendicular to the cake side. The bottom edge of the scraper should remain completely in contact with the workboard as you scrape. A turntable is useful here.

6.Fill any gaps around the sides and scrape again- repeat process until the sides are smooth and perfectly straight.

7.Using a spatula tip the top edge of the excess ganache over and smooth out towards middle of the cake.

8.Add additional ganache to the top of the cake if required and make top of the cake as smooth and level as possible.Chill in fridge for 10 mins to firm up.

9.Prepare a large square board, covering with florist’s cellophane. Using sticky tape on the paper side of the board, stick sides down, stretching the cellophane tightly. Then use scissors to cut cellophane off at corners.

10.Soften some ganache slightly in the microwave. It should be pourable but not too runny. Spread a circle of ganache 0.5 to 1 cm thick over the prepared board. The circle should be slightly larger than the cake.

11.Take the cake out of the fridge and flip over onto the circle of ganache. Working quickly, use a spatula to loosen the seal between the base board and the work board and remove workboard (we will reattach this later). Using a spirit level on the topside of the cake (ie against the bottom of the baseboard) move cake around on softened ganache until the top is perfectly level. Leave cake undisturbed until bottom layer of ganache is firm, but not hard.

12.Scrape around the outside of the cake once again, use a heated spatula if necessary.

13.Scrape and fill sides until they are perfectly smooth and straight. Reattach workboard to top with a little ganache. Turn upside down and place in fridge for ½ an hour.

14.Remove cake from fridge and use a knife to cut through sticky tape attaching cellophane to board. Remove square board.

15.Carefully peel back cellophane.

16.Fill any small gaps caused by air bubbles on top of the cake. Leave to set up at room temperature for 12 hours before covering with fondant.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

"I consider lace to be one of the prettiest imitations ever made of the fantasy of nature; lace always evokes for me those incomparable designs which the branches and leaves of trees embroider across the sky, and I do not think that any invention of the human spirit could have a more graceful or precise origin."

~ Coco Chanel~

This tutorial, by Earlene Moore, shows us how to use her wonderful, new, enhanced lace molds -

WHAT MAKES THESE MOLDS DIFFERENT?Designs are already over piped for you to give you more dimension in the lace pattern.

Bottom (blank) pattern on each mold for marking your sugar dough.

"Blade" around the top of each design for trimming your sugar dough fast and easy.The firm ridge around the top of each design is what is called the "blade" .. .... .

HOW TO USE ENHANCED LACE MOLDS -

1. Roll out the dough slightly thicker than the thickness for flowers. I normally do flower petals on the #5 setting on my pasta machine. The #4 thickness is good for the lace pieces. All pasta machines are not created equal - yours may be better on another thickness setting.

If you don't have a pasta machine, you can roll the dough out between 2 - 1/8" skewers Then roll it thinner - to about 1/2 that thickness

2. Imprint design outline using the back of the mold on your sugar dough. Imprint multiple patterns to cut apart

3. Cut around one imprinted design.

4. Very Important

Dust the bottom side of the sugar dough to be placed down into the mold with a knee hi stocking filled with cornstarch.

Don't dust the mold - dust the sugar dough

Lay rolled sugar piece on top of the mold - cornstarch dusted side down.

5. Using a small rolling pen - roll over the top of this sugar piece multiple times with light pressure until "blade" has trimmed the mold

6. Remove excess dough from around the mold

7. Press around the edges of the mold rolling the fingers in toward the center as your press firmly

8. Press firmly over the entire surface to imprint the design into your sugar piece.

If more detail is needed try using a stencil brush with a rubber band around the bristles of the brush

9. To remove the sugar piece from the molds. Turn the mold upside down on a clean surface. Encourage one edge to begin to release the dough and roll back the mold away from the dough.

Scrunch the molded piece if you need it to be a little smaller. Stretch it slightly if you need it a little larger.

Troubleshooting Tips:

If you don't get enough detail it could be 1. You didn't press hard enough
2. Your sugar dough was to firm You can always place the sugar piece back into the mold and press firmer. Because the pattern to these molds is significant - the sugar paste will fit right back into the pattern. Molds can be used with Isomalt, fondant, gumpaste, chocolate and more

Handy Tip:

If you want to mold a chocolate piece with the silicone molds - warm the mold before filling with warm chocolate.

Extending Design Elements:

Using individual elements in the molds and Enhancing the designs.

All the molds have elements in them that can be used separately as a design enhancer.

Here are the steps to this cake design elements.

1. Imprint just the portion of the mold you will need.

2. Press into the mold

3. Trim around the design element needed angling in with a cutting wheel.

4. Neaten up the edges with the cutting wheel or a dresden/veining tool.

On the above photo, the full mold is used for the sides, but only the tip of the "Carolyn" mold is used for the next row up.
The bottom half of the mold is used for the center fill in design.

The only mold used on this entire cake was the "Carolyn" enhanced mold.

ELEMENTS IN LACE MOLDS -

When purchasing a lace mold - look for all of the elements in that mold that can be separated and used independently

Betty Mold

Carolyn Mold

Peggy mold

Rebecca mold

Rosemary and Rose molds

Ruth mold

Sheila mold

Shirley Left and Right

The use of the molds make your design possibilities endless!!

The cake below was designed by Edna De La Cruz using Earlene's Enhanced Cake Molds.

And keep checking Earlene's Cakes for new beautiful lace designs... More b This tutorial provided byEarlene MooreAll Rights Reserved 2012This material may not be republished or reproduced in any manner without the expressed permission of the author.